Wholesale and Distribution Movie Reviews

Okay, so Jonathan Richman has already released a couple of live albums (not counting bootlegs): Precise Modern Lovers Order (Rounder, 1994) was a compilation of live recordings from 1971 and '73 by his short-lived proto-punk outfit the Modern Lovers, while Modern Lovers Live (Beserkley, 1977) showcased his late-'70s turn toward childlike lyrics and acoustic folk-rock. Parts of Having A Party (Rounder, 1991) were also recorded live; but while tracks like "Monologue About Bermuda," "Just For Fun," and "When I Say Wife" retained the stripped-down folk-rock sound, by that point Richman's lyrics were leaning away from the childlike whimsy of old, and toward more adult concerns such as self-reflection, commitment and the minutiae of married life. Having seen him in concert three times in the past two years, however, I don't think another live CD could have done him justice. Jonathan and/or his label, Vapor, must have sensed this, too: In December of 2002, he performed a show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, which was filmed for the new concert DVD Take Me To The Plaza. For anyone who hasn't caught his live show lately, this is an excellent way to see what he's been up to; but for those who HAVE seen him play live in recent years, there aren't very many surprises. This is a fairly typical Jonathan Richman show as far as I'm concerned -- and that's NOT a bad thing. He seems a little tired, perhaps winding down from a long tour, but this DVD perfectly captures his unique combination of earnestness and showmanship.

A word of warning about the song selection, though: Seven of the 19 tunes ("Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow," "Springtime in New York," "Couples Must Fight," "Give Paris One More Chance," "My Love for Her Ain't Sad," "Yo Tengo Una Novia," "El Joven Se Estremece") are from his 2001 CD Her Mystery..., so how much you'll like this show may depend on how much you liked that particular album. Other tracks include "Pablo Picasso" and "Girlfriend" from his Modern Lovers days, "Let Her Go Into the Darkness," "I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar," and "The Night is Still Young"; "Nineteen in Naples" and "You Can't Talk to the Dude" are included as separate bonus tracks. Five new tunes -- the typical-JR love song "My Baby Love Love Loves Me," the life-affirming "I Love the World," the unusually topical "Not In My Name," the jaunty "Take Me to the Plaza," and my favorite, "The World is Showin' Me its Hand" -- bode well for his next studio album.

Jonathan is accompanied only by himself on guitar and Tommy Larkins on drums; that said, many of Richman's typical antics are present and accounted for. He occasionally takes off his guitar and dances to Tommy's drumbeat ("...Lesbian Bar," "My Baby...," "El Joven Se Estremece"); he alters lyrics ("Pablo Picasso," "Her Mystery..."); he adds hilarious spoken bits ("Let Her Go...," "You Can't Talk to the Dude"); he translates "El Joven..." into English as he performs it; and he even takes a request ("Nineteen in Naples"). Throughout, the visuals and camerawork simply showcase the cuddly cult figure in his element, without a lot of gimmicks, jump-cuts or fancy stuff.

The DVD includes two interviews with Jonathan as well. The first covers a lot of familiar ground for us fans -- such as his early influences, his meeting the Velvet Underground, the Modern Lovers LP (recorded 1971-73, released in '76), his strained relations with the Warner Bros. label in the '70s, his decision to go solo, and how his lonely adolescence inspired the song "Roadrunner" -- but is nevertheless interesting and amusing. The second interview is actually more fascinating, though, as Richman speaks frankly about how he's been misquoted in interviews over the years, and about how he's a bit embarrassed by his earlier records. Encore!

A hundred years from now, people will look back on the period from 1950-2000 as the musical renaissance. Artists who we pay no attention to now will be revered, while some who sell millions will be forgotton. Among the musicians that people of the 22nd century will be fascinated with is Jonathan Richman. Jonathan has proven himself to be one of the finest songwriters of our times but he has displayed a complete disdain for popular acceptance. His music bubbles along the currents of those in the know but is rarely experienced by the masses. This DVD will not change things. With his face unshaven, his hair uncombed, his shirt unironed, and the ever sullen Tommy Larkin behind him on drums, Jonathan is the antithesis of a star during this performance. What he does possess, and oodles of it, is passion and a knack for coaxing subtle sounds from his acoustic guitar. Most of his fans' favorites are absent from this performance as well, with the emphasis being on newer tunes as well as a handful of unreleased songs. None of that matters. A hundred years from now a future generation will gaze in awe upon Jonathan's awkward dancing and genuine display of emotion and they will not understand how he was ignored during his time.

This dvd may well be the only place you'll see Jonathan wearing an ironed shirt. Ironed or not ironed, who cares? - he's just the best musician / writer / person...
Of course I'm not biased
Jonathan is a live performer, and no cd or dvd can ever take the place of being at his shows. If you're not really a Jonathan or Tommy fan, you may not be too impressed by this. But fans will smile quietly. The best part of the dvd is the second interview. True Jonathan.

The four star rating is not for the series but Viz's release. The video quality is as good as could be expected (it is an old show, after all, and I have to admit it actually looks late eighties instead of early eighties), and the sound is clear. The packaging has good artwork and hard cases (I dislike the cardboard cases used in the Godfather set or the E.T. release).

I have two complaints: one is that episode 24, the last episode in this DVD, is supposed to have Gilbert O'sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)" and "Get Down (You're a Bad Dog, Baby)" as the opening and closing themes. They have decided to skip this, returning it to the opening and closing sequences that come before and after (i.e. the original opening and the closing "Cinema"). This is likely because Viz didn't want to pay the licensing fees (or perhaps they were used without Gilbert's permission to begin with). In any case, I've seen them before, so I'm not too disappointed, and it was only for one episode anyway. Maybe they'll include it as an extra in a later set.

Secondly, the extras are 1) an unnecessary back story (I don't know anybody who would buy this one without buying the first one, so what's the point?) and 2) a brief preview of the next boxset. Both show scenes from the show, but only in english (no option for japanese or subtitles).

When it comes down to it, though, I only care about getting the series, which is one of my favorites. Buy this and the new manga editions in the tradional right to left Japanese style.

If you bought the first, heeded my first review advice, and listened in Japanese you'll have no trouble with the second. If not, revisit the first set without the English dub, and see if you can live with the subtitles. I still think the Japanese voice actors do a better job, so there's no reason not to get the second box set in the series.

This ranks as a classic comedy romance anime series, and one that should be watched all the way through. Like most of Takahashi's work, its funny, touching, and nearly always audience appropriate. In the second DVD of the series, the rivalry between Godai and the tennis coach heats up. A minor injury to Kyoko, leads to a clash between caregivers, those being Godai, and Coach Mitaka.

The other main story arc involves Kyoko's parents, who are (perhaps rightly from their perspective), disturbed over her living conditions. They try every trick in the book, and a few new ones, to get her to move back home. This all makes for lots of fun, and sometimes drunken excitement, at our favorite run-down rooming house.

I can't say enough about the quality of product, and it's a decent value available here with 12 episodes on the DVD set. It's too bad the producers chose not to do any more work, and get the second DVD in the series dubbed. I've read the comments of new anime fans that were worried, and then surprised that the dub wasn't so bad. I'm sure they will be disappointed, that it's not available at all on the second in the series.

Well i got to watch this a tad bit early since i snuck it out of the back where i work and bought it. This series truly has me hooked to the worst degree. This boxset of Maison really begins to develope the relationship between Kyoko and Godai by putting them in awkard situations where they are alone together. They even go out on a date together except of course it goes not as planned but still noteworthy. Then we see Godai actually becoming popular with the ladies by accident of course but it does make Kyoko jealous. After that it get a little more dramatic but i'll save that because people should be buying this and not reading a review about it. I cant wait for this to be totally released. This has to be one of the best releases this year and obvouisly next year(5 more boxsets to go). So yeah it's worth buying if youre into romantic comedys and its 10x better than the first boxset

Weaned on Forrest J. Ackerman's Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine from an early age, director Donald Glut is no stranger to the subject of B-movie creatures. Not only a filmmaker he is also a fan, and it shows in his work. An expert of all things related to prehistoric dinosaurs, Donald Glut's film Dinosaur Valley Girls (1995) seemed to be a tribute to the days of Ray (One Millon Years B.C. (1967) Harryhausen's stop motion animation classics. This time.. Instead of jurassic classics, it's vampire girls.
One night after a gig, a sexy 1960's rock star is attacked by Count Dracula (played by biker, bare-knuckle brawler, cowboy, bee-girl fighter William Angels Die Hard (1970) / Grave of the Vampire (1972) Smith). The next evening she awakens to find that she has joined the undead. "...your youth and beauty will remain untounched by time forever! - what the hell are you babbling about???..." It's not long before she murders a friend to satisfy her hunger. Despising her new existence the Scarlet Countess vows never to kill another human again. Many years later depressed, and suicidal she demands that her insect-eating servant ram a stake through her heart. Unable to destroy her, she finds out that if she can get three beautiful young virgins to sacrifice their blood willingly in a single night, she can become human and mortal again, which doesn't turnout as expected, as she quickly ages. The Scarlet Countess is given a second chance, as the victims, now vampires themselves, who turn her back to a beauty in an erotic and climactic ending. Great to see the added commentary track. Also look for a new film entitled The Mummy's Kiss (2002)

What a great night of escapism this video is! Brick R. is gorgeous and talented...LOVE the sense of humor and real appreciation for the horror genre in the writing. Definitely a Halloween "don't miss"!

A decent movie about a cycle of poverty and addiction...Brittany Murphy and Jeremy Jordan (yes, Jeremy "The Right Kind of Love" Jordan!) stand out with their performances in an otherwise Lifetime-movie-of-the-week caliber film. Worth a watch, for sure, and at a low price might be worth purchasing if you're a big Murphy or JJ fan...

This touching film has truely moved me! Brittney Murphey did an AMAZING job! this film follows a single part in poverty with daughter (murphey) and is so incredibly INSPIRATIONAL and TOUCHING! with many SHOCKING and SUPRISING twists and turns! ITS SURE TO BE LOVED, it should be a LAW for EVERYONE TO WATCH IT!

This is a rather long DVD with a running time of 157 min. Roughly we have 1/3 of the time with Gould on the piano and the rest are just chats/talks. Whether the chats are interesting depend on how we look at them. On this occasion, Gould is more polite and more pleasing in the sense that he was more aware of the camera and the viewers behind the camera. On the other hand, he is not as candid as he was on Goldberg.

In this DVD, we also have a director. So the photography is not as dull as Goldberg and to a certain extent quite artistic, especially when he is on the piano. One of the most appealing sights of this DVD would be his fingerworks as filmed right above his hands: it looks as though the ten fingers were ten little dancers (with Horowitz, we have ten horses racing together).

Gould had a way of making the piano sounds more like harpsichord than a modern piano, and that supposedly had something to do with the position he sat himself before the piano making his arms so low. The recording session of the English Suite, other than Gibbons, is one of the best that this DVD has to offer, but that is only an excerpt showing instead what he was seeking in his recording. Fortunately, we have a whole piece of Partita #6, a piece that some would regard as less appealing than his English Suite.

As to his chats, for those other than Gould's fans, they would rather the director/producer edite it or trim it making it more compact. But for Gould fans, they sure would long for more whatever they may be. Fortunately, we have a choice: we can select the music programme instead of having to undergo all the chats everytime before we have the music.

The "bonus" hasn't any substance at all. Such kind of trial started in the 1930s when a piano teacher tried to film famous pianists' hands to be replayed in normal and slow actions to unveil the "secret" of piano playing in order "to save years of hard practice": a most futile attempt.

A couple of months after Gould's untimely dead, Dutch tv broadcasted Gould's three Bach commentaries, that have appeared on Sony video and a compilation of fragments from Monsaigeon "Chemins de la musique" triptych. Since that compilation did not include Gould's second recording of Bach 6th Partita this dvd folowed 20 years of eager anticipation.

This dvd contains a program from the seventies that "re-introduced" the retired "studio pianist" Glenn Gould to his record buying audience. It contains quite a bit of music varying from Gibbons and Byrd all the way to Schoenberg and extensive interviews exploring music and life in general according to GG. For all contemporary fans a lot of the material that comes up in the interviews may be somewhat outdated. Gould maniac as I am, listening to his commentaries on Bach in the three aforementioned videos is a never ending pleasure, whereas the skip button is my most common antidote to repeated encounter with "Gould on Gould". Yet, the dvd gives invaluable insight in the Gould recording process and his fascination with its possibilities.

For me though, the inclusion of a complete second version of Bach's sixth Partita is this disc's raison d'etre. Glenn's ultra-dramatic first version from the late fifties is still among his best Bach recordings and made you wander how he would have done things differently later. Whereas Gould fan and admiree Alexis Weissenberg went all out on his Dg rerecording of Bach's greatest keyboard suite, Glenn chose a definitely more spiritual approach for his second recording of a trip through one of the worlds most amazing chromatic labyrinths. Detractors could comment that some of his articulations in the Toccata may be questionable, yet a "deeper" view of this work and it's composer is unbeknownst to me. This spiritual approach is maintained throughout the work in pretty normal tempos, including the gigue where Gould -in a way similar to Pollini's recent release of Beethoven's Appassionata- proves that top-speed is in no way a prerequisite for the ultimate virtuosity. While nobody will be surprised by Gould's unmatched skills in counterpoint playing, it is really interesting to have taped testimonial of Glenn's abundant right pedal use. While it is most abundant in the Allemande and the no holds barred Sarabande, even the faster movements get an ample dose of sustain.

For all true blue Gould fans this disc is a must have. We have all learned to take Glenn's statements with a grain of salt. In the introduction a lot is talked about the pianists reasons for leaving the concert stage. One thing many people -including my former teacher who saw Gould around the end of his concert career in Brussels- noticed is that his on stage memory had become so unreliable, that he had to rely on large patches of reduced photocopies of entire works. Yet, let's not get lost in details.

My only qualm with this issue is the outdated sound quality. Used to the quality of the three Bach issues on Sony it is too bad that things were not improved upon with current technology.

Hallowed Ground isn't so much about who can do the biggest, longest, or most technical trick. It's certainly chock full of amazing technical skating, but the soul of this movie is in the joy that skating can bring, not who does it the best. Though not as goofy or fun, it has the same sort of overall feel as Chin. Friends skating together and loving it for it's purity, not for what sort of video game contracts it may bring.

The footage is beautifully shot, the soundtrack well matched to the skating. I had personally never seen some of the spots in Brazil, and what Hurley video would be complete without a huge session on Burnquist's famous ramp with the over-vert bowl section? Bob and Lincoln soar while Ben Harper is playing, the skating reminiscent of Hosoi. Black and white plus glorious color footage are both included throughout the movie.

Old-schoolers will be pleased with the homage paid to vintage style during Mike Vallely's part, among others. There aren't too many professional skaters around that can session a 10' x 10' concrete square. Mike does it with style and flair, and reminds us what skateboarding is all about. Skaters of the more technical breed won't be disappointed either. Plenty of big, precision skating can be found as well.

One of the great skate videos, or DVDs as the case is now, thankfully, Hallowed Ground shouldn't be missed. If you only pick up one modern skate video, make it Menikamati. If you pick up two, add Hallowed Ground to your library.

Jason

Hallowed Ground is a very good skate film. It has footage of Mike Valley, Bob Burnquist and many others. It has a good combination of street, and vert as well as footage from South America. The DVD version is a must have.

This is a very good DVD concert.Taken from his 2002 "Respect yourself Tour".Too bad this is not the hole concert, but some of his new songs.I miss older songs like "Shelter me", "With a little help from my friends", "Feeling alright", "The letter", "You can leave your hat on, "High time we went" and many more.
I`m a big fan, and his DVD is OK.

Joe Cocker "Respect Yourself" Live is a collection of eight tracks recorded live in a small club in Germany during his recent 2002 tour. Seven of the tracks are from his latest release "Respect Yourself" and one classic show ending tune "Unchain My Heart". The aging Cocker shows no sign of slowing down and delivers great live versions of "Never Tear Us Apart", "Midnight Without You", "Respect Yourself", "This Is Your Life" and a stunning ballad "Everytime It Rains". There is not a rock singer alive who can deliver a ballad with more emotion and conviction than Joe Cocker. If you are looking for a dvd with all the hits this is not the place to start[try his Across from Midnight dvd], but if you are a big fan, you are going to treasure this latest live offering of new material. The band that plays with Joe this time around is fantastic as usual featuring Nick Milo[keyboards], Oneida James[Bass], Deric Dyer[sax and keyboards], Jack Bruno[drums], Gene Black[guitar],Amy Keys and longtime Cocker girl Maxine Green on backround vocal. I just saw them at the Beacon theater in NYC and they gave the sellout crowd plenty to cheer about. Also a 20 minute interview with Joe is on the disc as he gives insight and thoughts about touring, his fans, his music and band members. Joe seems quite amazed that fans both young and old continue to come see and support him some 38 years after his first recording in 1964[I'll Cry Instead]. Hopefully the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame will come to their senses and induct Joe who truly deserves the title of rock legend.

The audio quality isn't the best. Basically, they show spots of the fans and the stage setup from various concerts, but minimal performance footage. All of Stevie B's videos are on this DVD... Spring Love, Dreamin' of Love, I Wanna Be The One, Pump That Body, Dream About You, and You Are The One. These videos are impossible to find elsewhere, so the DVD is worth having just for those. The main program features bits and pieces of videos, television spots, and various concert footage (as described above) and throughout the program Steve B sits through an interview with Galley describing the scenes. The price is right, so I would recommend this to Stevie B fans.

I have been a Stevie B fan for years. This Dvd is amazing. The music videos, interview. He is just the king of Freestyle. I recommend 100% this Dvd. It's great if you're a freestyle lover and definitely a Stevie b Fan. I just saw him last night and he is a sweetheart and even dance with him on stage. This dvd will show how he is professionally and caring towards his fans. Definite buy it. You won't regret it.

I always anxiously await any new Gary Moore material. I was especially juiced for this DVD (and companion CD) as Gary is so good live. I must admit to being a little disappointed but not because of his guitar playing. Gary's playing is as awesome as ever.

1.) Song selection spans more than a generation and so the show seems to lack any real theme. This would be much more acceptable if it was a full length DVD and each era of Gary's career was well represented. However, at only 10 tracks long this strategy is impossible, so the DVD ends up sounding more like a live compilation disc rather than a cohesive and flowing single show. Blame the short set list on the fact that Gary must have been rather early on the playbill. His support status seems even more apparent by the rather reserved (dare I say dull) audience reaction throughout. He gets mostly polite "golf claps" between songs.

2.) Lastly, Gary either forgot how to sing the older songs or he thought the P.A. was not working. He shouts out the vocal on many on the songs. This is probably the single most disappointing part of the DVD. This is even more acute for me because I have heard Gary at his best (accepting the known limitations of his vocal skills). But this performance ain't even close.

3.) This may seem shallow, but DVDs are 50% visual. Quite frankly, I was shocked by Gary's appearance. He has never been exactly handsome, but compound that with his current weight situation and the visuals are pretty much out of control. Gary, get a personal trainer!

As a post script I just have to share this nugget of gold: If you want the absolute best Gary Moore performance ever recorded search out a Japanese (pirate?) DVD of Gary Moore and the Midnight Blues Band called "An Evening of the Blues". (I purchased mine on eBay) It is from a filmed concert dating back to 1990 that features between song mini interviews as well as guest performances with Albert Collins and Albert King. Gary's guitar and vocal performance is so overwhelmingly powerful that he completely blows the audience away. You will be gone too. Completely.

Gary Moore performing at the Monster's of Rock, opening for Whitesnake? What is this a joke? Gary Moore
and the word Rock in the same sentence?!$&*(@ I thought Gary sworn off rock, sworn off all his old 80's heavy
rock songs and just wanted to concentrate on the "blues". Well guess what my friends, Gary Moore has finally
awaken from his coma he slipped into around 1990, and it back fricking rocking again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And he hasn't missed a beat!!!! I just picked this up to cure my curiousity of if time has affected Gary's rock chops
and I got my answer with the first note played on Shapes of Things, Gary Moore proves again that he is still the
best rock guitarist period! My jaw hit the floor, as Gary Moore just shreds, and rips through new rock tunes, old 80's
rock classics from his solo years/Lizzy years, and some covers that just quite simply question why he had abandoned
rock music for almost 14 years.

This DVD concert is incredibly done! The sound and picture quality are first rate. Beautifully shot with multiple cameras
but not over done (ala Iron Maiden's Rock in Rio release). Gary and his band just smoke. The band was touring in support of their Scars
album released in 2002. Gary's band only consist of 2 other memeber. Cass Lewis on bass and Darrin Mahoney on drums.
That's it. No synths. No keyboards. Nothing but guitar, bass, and drums. And of course Gary's vocals.

Gary was opening for Whitesnake on this tour, and was given a 60 minute performance time to crank and he waste none
of that time. 10 songs performed including Shapes, Free's Wishing Well, Scars' Recitfy, Stand Up, and Just Can't Let You Go.
Walking By Myself and Out in the Fields from Garys solo years, and (his pre-days in Lizzy's Don't Believe A Word, which he just nails
with a twin guitar sounding solo/leads (You'll ask yourself as you watch, how does he do it!!!) Gary's encore is the
scorching, mesmerizing Parisienne Walkways. And since Moore is just hot, he does not fail on this. All together
a 60 minute rock marathon!!!

Now, do not be scared off by the low running time of this DVD. The special features are just the icing on the cake!!! Although
it is not very detailed on the DVD case, the soundcheck footage is AWESOME!!!! You see Gary and the band crank out
and additional 15 minutes live on stage. They do Shape of Things and Don't Believe a Word. Also, you Gary just jam a bit
on his guitar. The last special feature is the interview which last around another 15 minutes and is very very worth while.
Gary is a very intellectual guitarist and does not just sit there and go "duh this and duh that". This 30 minutes of bonus
footage push the DVD running time into 90 minutes, instead of the 63 minutes listed on the DVD case. Very very nice.

All in all, if you are a Gary Moore fan, or just a fan of guitar rock, you will not be disappointed with this.

Welcome back to the world of rock, Gary, I can't wait to hear MOORE!!!!!

This film starts with Andy Hardy returning home after serving in the army. And it's not too long before he's caught up in the usual Hardy capers. Mickey Rooney was a dab hand at portraying Andy Hardy by now though at 26, perhaps a little on the mature side for this role. That aside, this is a fine addition to the Hardy series with Lewis Stone, Fay Holden and Sara Haden reprising their parts in what would be the penultimate film of the series. Worth your time and check out that scene at the dance with Dorothy Ford....

I love this movie! It was funny watching the dancing. I hope you can have the other movies with M.R. put on DVD's.